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Turning new leaf, city seeks arborist
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - February 15, 2012)
Turning new leaf, city seeks arborist
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
The city of Chardon will be entering uncharted waters in an attempt to keep the city's trees healthy and flourishing.
City Council agreed unanimously last week to have City Manager Randal Sharpe begin a search for an urban forester, a position that for decades has been provided free of charge.
Mr. Sharpe said the city recently was informed that Kenneth Miller, who has served pro bono in the position for decades, submitted his resignation as of the first of the year.
The city's shade tree commission recently discussed the need to replace Mr. Miller to ensure a healthy future for the city's tree inventory.
Mr. Sharpe said the commission has decided that, at least for the first year, the city should contract for the position rather than bring on another city employee.
He said he prepared the request for proposal after consulting with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and other communities to get an idea of what qualifications should be sought for the position.
Mr. Sharpe said the commission was asking for council's permission to advertise for the position, conduct interviews and then make a recommendation for hiring.
The position would be paid through the city's collection of a shade tree assessment, which provides roughly $60,000 a year. In addition, he said, the city has approximately $50,000 in the shade tree account from past collections.
Mr. Sharpe said the new position would require expertise in pruning, trimming, planting, mulching, preparing soils and selecting the types of trees for various areas of the city.
Council President Philip King said, for years the city has relied on the services of Mr. Miller, who was on call anytime an issue with trees arose. "It's amazing how valuable Ken Miller is," he said.
The city received that expert advice without spending a dime, Mr. King said. "We used to joke about giving him a raise, because 2 percent of nothing is zero. It's going to be a tough adjustment."
Councilwoman Leslie Bednar said the position is more important than many people realize. She said people often take a tree for granted until it is gone. But they have a quieting effect on traffic and provide beauty to neighborhoods, she said. "Trees do impact the quality of a community."
Mr. King said finding the right person is critical at this time, because the city is beginning to experience problems with trees on one of its most recognized attributes, Chardon Square. He said trees there are beginning to experience problems, because they are outgrowing their space.
Councilman Daniel Meleski said there have been discussions about training a worker in the city's service department to assist in the task of maintaining the city's trees and possibly handling such jobs as pruning or removing small trees.
Mr. Sharpe said the new position must be a state-certified arborist. The city will consider the time required and the cost in making its decision and will likely set a cap on one of those two factors, Mr. Sharpe said.
"There's a lot more to it than just beautiful trees that grow," he said.
"I think its time is here," Mr. King said.
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